**1. Window History and Evolution:**
– Word ‘window’ originates from Old Norse, meaning wind and eye.
– Romans first used glass for windows.
– Industrial plate glass enabled modern-style windows.
– Lancet windows in Western European churches.
– Evolution of window proportions over time.
– Picture windows first appeared in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
– French doors and windows have distinct characteristics.
– Stained glass windows add decorative elements to buildings.
**2. Window Technologies:**
– Romans and English used glass for windows.
– Paper windows in the Far East.
– Industrial processes enabled modern windows.
– Mullioned glass windows in Europe.
– Various types of sash windows.
– Tilt-and-turn windows have gained popularity in recent years.
– Carpentry and joinery play a crucial role in window installation.
**3. Window Types:**
– Cross-window, eyebrow window, fixed window, sash windows.
– Single-hung, double-hung, foldup, horizontal sliding sash, casement windows.
– Picture, multi-lite, emergency exit/egress, stained glass, French windows.
– Different types like flanking windows offer unique features.
**4. Window Construction and Materials:**
– Windows covered with animal hide, cloth, wood, and later glass.
– Modern muntins, PVC, fiberglass, aluminum, and composite frames.
– Low-emissivity coated panes, insulated glazing units, double and triple-pane windows.
– Window treatments for aesthetic appeal and functionality.
– Energy-efficient windows help reduce heat loss and save money.
**5. Window Energy Efficiency and Sustainability:**
– Passive solar windows and proper positioning for energy efficiency.
– Photovoltaic windows and low-e window film for energy generation and efficiency.
– MIT’s exploration of solar energy through innovative window designs.
– Novel fillers for plastics impacting sustainability of window materials.
– Properly designed windows contribute to sustainable building practices.
A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material, a sash set in a frame in the opening; the sash and frame are also referred to as a window. Many glazed windows may be opened, to allow ventilation, or closed, to exclude inclement weather. Windows may have a latch or similar mechanism to lock the window shut or to hold it open by various amounts.
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In addition to this, many modern day windows may have a window screen or mesh, often made of aluminum or fibreglass, to keep bugs out when the window is opened. Windows are primarily designed to facilitate a vital connection with the outdoors, offering those within the confines of the building visual access to the everchanging events occurring outside. The provision of this connection serves as an integral safeguard for the health and well-being of those inhabiting buildings, lest they experience the detrimental effects of enclosed buildings devoid of windows. Among the myriad criteria for the design of windows, several pivotal criteria have emerged in daylight standards: location, time, weather, nature, and people. Of these criteria, windows that are designed to provide views of nature are considered to be the most important by people.
Types include the eyebrow window, fixed windows, hexagonal windows, single-hung, and double-hung sash windows, horizontal sliding sash windows, casement windows, awning windows, hopper windows, tilt, and slide windows (often door-sized), tilt and turn windows, transom windows, sidelight windows, jalousie or louvered windows, clerestory windows, lancet windows, skylights, roof windows, roof lanterns, bay windows, oriel windows, thermal, or Diocletian, windows, picture windows, Rose windows, emergency exit windows, stained glass windows, French windows, panel windows, double/triple-paned windows, and witch windows.
The Romans were the first known to use glass for windows, a technology likely first produced in Roman Egypt, in Alexandria c. 100 AD. Presentations of windows can be seen in ancient Egyptian wall art and sculptures from Assyria. Paper windows were economical and widely used in ancient China, Korea, and Japan. In England, glass became common in the windows of ordinary homes only in the early 17th century whereas windows made up of panes of flattened animal horn were used as early as the 14th century. In the 19th century American west, greased paper windows came to be used by pioneering settlers. Modern-style floor-to-ceiling windows became possible only after the industrial plate glass making processes were fully perfected.
Definition from ChatGPT:
Window:
A window is an opening in a wall or roof of a building that is fitted with glass or other transparent material to allow light to enter and to enable people to see out. Windows also provide ventilation and can be opened or closed to control the flow of air.